Precision Health
QNV 2030: Qatar National Vision 2030 
Resource Plan
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being
15 - 16 years
Language(s), Maths, Science
Overarching Goal(s)
- To nurture learners as global citizens who are connected to their own identity.
- To equip learners with the knowledge, skills, motivation and understanding to demonstrate the importance of Glocalization as a sustainable model for learning.
- To inspire students to act sustainably from both local and global perspectives.
Learning Outcomes
- Learners analyze and interpret the diversity of opinions, and ideas relating to glocalization within both local and global contextual and conceptual frameworks.
- Learners use their awareness of their own strengths and areas of growth in their understanding of glocalization.
- Learners develop lifelong skills which support their sustainable actions.
- Learners reflect on the impact of their actions and demonstrate their understanding of the action as related to sustainability.
Possible Duration (Hours)
8 hours
Qatar National Vision 2030 Connection
Qatar National Vision 2030:
The students will be encouraged to make connections aligned with the Qatar National Vision 2030, interconnected four pillars: human, social, economic and environmental development.
English: https://www.gco.gov.qa/en/about-qatar/national-vision2030/
Arabic: https://www.gco.gov.qa/ar/about-qatar/national-vision2030/
Source: Government Communications Office (2023). Qatar National Vision 2030. [online] Government Communications Office. Available at: https://www.gco.gov.qa/en/about-qatar/national-vision2030/
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Connection
SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all age groups.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations
English: https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Arabic: https://sdgs.un.org/ar/goals
Source: United Nations (2024). The 17 Sustainable Development Goals. [online] United Nations. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Action Learning Outcomes
- Learners become more aware of their own strengths and areas for growth.
- Learners discuss, evaluate and plan student-initated activities.
- Learners undertake challenges that develop new skills.
- Learners persevere in action.
- Learners work collaboratively with others.
- Learners consider the ethical implications of their actions.
Content
The content of the lesson tool revolves around identifying and understanding that precision health initiatives are vital in reducing the number of chronic illnesses in the population and improving the health of future generations through medical research on the cause of prevalent illnesses.
Resource Utilization and Identification: The Qatar Precision Health Institute (QPHI) center, a member of Qatar Foundation.
Subject Matter: Research and interpretation analysis of medical research data related to biological sciences, local samples and precision health.
Glocalization Connections: Taking care of health precautions while visiting international countries.
Differentiation: Students work in mixed ability groups.
Critical Thinking: Encourage students to analyze and interpret data involving medical and scientific terminology. Students analyze the data and provide possible explanations and recommendations based on the data.
Real-world Application: Students discuss and explain how local residents can take care and sustain healthy habits and well-being practices.
Strategies
The strategies employed in this lesson tool are designed to foster analyzing, critical thinking, inquiry, collaboration, and innovative engagement. They include visible thinking routines, responsive pedagogy, and problem-solving approaches to adapt to students’ needs and encourage active participation. Students apply meaningful learning experiences that connect to precision health.
Responsive and Adaptive Pedagogy: Adjust the pace and level of guidance based on student responses and engagement.
Visible Thinking Routines: Implement the “Connect-Extend-Challenge” and ‘GRASP’ visible routine to stimulate critical thinking and discussion. Encourage students to utilize what they already know, and what they want to find out more about; to extend their knowledge to learn new information.
Inquiry: Encourage students to inquire about the significance of precision health and medical research while maintaining and promoting healthy Qatari citizens, residents, and local communities.
Collaboration: Facilitate a class discussion forum where students can share and compare their perceptions, promoting collaboration and the exchange of diverse perspectives.
Assessment for and as Learning: Use formative assessments as students present their report findings.
Problem-Solving: Ask students to identify and propose solutions to challenges in climate and/or environmental conditions that may impact on one’s health in their local community.
Learning Experiences
Learning Engagement 1: Understanding the purpose and need for medical research.
Learning Objective: To understand the purpose and need for medical research.
Introduction and context setting
Students will use the ‘Connect-Extend-Challenge’ visible routine and record notes in their notebooks. This visible routine helps students to draw connections between new ideas and prior knowledge.
Connect – Why do you think medical research is needed locally or globally?
Extend – What kinds of local or international medical research do you know of? What is the purpose of medical research?
Challenge – How is medical research used? Who does it help and provide information for? Why is it beneficial or not beneficial? What information can a human blood sample provide?
Activity
Resource 1: Al Arab interview with Dr. Nahla Afifi: https://rasekh.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Al-Arab-Newspaper-interview-with-Dr-Nahla.pdf
Resource 2: Student Questions: https://rasekh.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Resource-2_-Student-Questions.pdf
Instructions
The teacher will ask students to work in small groups and explain that they will be provided with the interview article link Resource 1, dated July 01, 2021 with Dr. Nahla Afifi. The teacher will provide the students with the questions from Resource 2 to each group, and will explain that in each group they will take turns in reading and understanding the interview. The students may choose to role-play the interview by choosing someone to be the interviewer, and the other student as the interviewee. The other student in the group can observe and take notes which will help them answer the student questions from Resource 2. The group will choose an expert from the group to present their findings to the class.
Reflection
The experts from each group will share their group’s findings to the rest of the class. This is also an opportunity for students to cross-examine, ask questions and share what they would like to know more about, or what interests they might have about the role of the institute for the future of Qatar’s precision health.
Learning Engagement 2: Interpreting, analyzing and presenting data from the institute’s annual research report.
Learning Objective: To interpret, analyze and present data from the institute’s annual research report.
Resource 3:
English 2020-21 annual report: https://admin.qatarbiobank.org.qa/sites/default/files/2021-11/ReporT-26MAY-EN.pdf
Arabic 2020-21 annual report: https://admin.qatarbiobank.org.qa/sites/default/files/2021-11/ReporT-26MAY-AR.pdf
Instructions
Students will utilize the ‘GRASP’ visible routine as Medical Health Research Analysts to interpret and analyze data from the 2020-21 Biobank Annual report. The Grasps model assists to define the context and scope of the learning experience.
Goal: Students determine the main health issues, patterns, and trends by analyzing the data.
Role: The students are the research analysts for Qatar Precision Health Institute (QPHI).
Audience: The target audience is the Medical Health Research Class Committee.
Situation: The situation is to inform the Medical Health Research Class Committee of the detailed report from the data, including the patterns, trends, and recommendations.
Purpose: Students clarify the purpose and provide an action plan.
Standards: The performance standards by which the research is judged are detailed and fully supported by the data and recommendations in an action plan.
Activity
The students will form small groups to work on their task. Each group of students will be provided with the Resource 3 report link, focusing on pages 45-49 depending on their task. Their role as Research Analysts is to interpret data and prepare a report to share with their peers and teachers. The students will collaborate as team research analyst members to produce a detailed report to the Medical Health Research Class Committee supported by data findings and recommendations.
Student friendly questions:
What local cultural genetic relationships can be identified from the local participant samples?
How do you think this informs researchers and health institutes to provide better healthcare services to communities?
Students will need to think about these questions while analyzing and preparing their detailed report.
Following is a task for each group to analyze and prepare a report on. The higher ability students should be encouraged to analyze Task C. The students can choose the way in which they would like to present their findings. Examples include: on flip chart paper, poster, Prezi presentation, Powerpoint, or any other form of presentation that they feel is appropriate.
Task A: This task is based on the prominent cancer types in Qatar (Figure 22). Students create a pie chart to show the different types of cancers and their percentages; prepare a detailed report on the number of cases found in both male and female participants, and the number of participants involved in the samples. Students are encouraged to include any recommendations or interesting findings. They will present their findings creatively, clearly, and accurately.
Task B: Students will need to report back on the Vitamin D level findings (Figure 23). They will present their findings using a pie-chart; prepare a detailed report including the number and gender of participants, percentages, any concerns, and recommendations. The students will present their findings creatively, clearly, and accurately.
Task C: For this task students will analyze Table 12 samples: The students will report on the data that is collected from the participant’s blood samples. The following are some guiding questions to support them:
What information does the data from the table provide?
What are the differences between the male and female results, if any?
What are the significant findings from this data?
What are some positive recommendations?
Students will create an appropriate visual data chart to represent this data. They will analyze the biomarkers profile and report back their findings creatively, clearly, and accurately.
Task D: For this task students will analyze Table 13 samples, and will create a pie-chart using this data. They will provide a detailed report on the Diabetes mellitus status within the Qatar Biobank population data. The following are some guiding questions to support students:
What does the data tell us?
What positive recommendations do you suggest?
The students will present their findings creatively, clearly, and accurately.
Action Plan
Each group of students need to include an action plan at the end of their report findings. They will need to consider how the data can be utilized to better inform future trends and the healthcare in Qatar. The students will produce an action plan based on their report findings to present to the Medical Health Class Committee when they share their findings (see Reflection).
Reflection
The teacher will support students to organize the class committee board meeting as ‘The Medical Health Research Committee’ members, and each group will present their report findings at this committee. As a committee, the students will conclude the need for medical research to prevent and treat health concerns, and that genetic diseases can be diagnosed and treated early to prevent life-long treatments.
Community Service Action:
The students should be encouraged to provide local health information strategies to promote good health and well-being within their families and local communities
Checking for Understanding
Learning Engagement 1: Understanding the purpose and need for medical research.
Check understanding of key concepts from Dr. Nahla’s interview, and student responses from the questions.
Learning Engagement 2: Interpreting and analyzing Biobank research data reports
Check student’s understanding and contributions from the presented reports to the Medical Health Class Committee.
Differentiation
Students collaborate in mixed ability groups.
Higher ability students are encouraged to provide a detailed report on Task C.
Key Vocabulary
biomarkers, cancer, deficiency, diabetes mellitus, genetics, health, kidney, liver, medical research, moderate, participants, precision health, samples, types, sufficiency, vitamin D
Resources
Resource 1: Al Arab interview with Dr. Nahla Afifi: https://rasekh.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Al-Arab-Newspaper-interview-with-Dr-Nahla.pdf
Resource 2: Student Questions: https://rasekh.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Resource-2_-Student-Questions.pdf
Resource 3:
English 2020-21 annual report: https://admin.qatarbiobank.org.qa/sites/default/files/2021-11/ReporT-26MAY-EN.pdf
Arabic 2020-21 annual report: https://admin.qatarbiobank.org.qa/sites/default/files/2021-11/ReporT-26MAY-AR.pdf
